It’s quite unusual that sprinkle breadcrumbs over pasta. But the crispy toasted breadcrumbs add a nice crunchy texture and a nice flavour contrast to the anchovy sauce.

I wish I was at the beach right now, somewhere like Sicily, even though I swim like a rock.

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— Pasta with Anchovies and Breadcrumbs (serves 2) —

200g spaghetti

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

10 anchovy fillets in olive oil, drained and chopped

1 teaspoon red cilli flakes

*****

— for breadcrumbs mixture —

40g breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon parsley, chopped

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To make breadcrumbs: peel and lightly crush the garlic cloves, place into a frying-pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Fry the garlic until golden, then remove and discard.

Add the breadcrumbs in the frying-pan and stir-fry over medium heat until crisp and golden. Set aside.

Transfer the breadcrumbs to a plate, leave to cool. Add the parmesan cheese and chopped parsley, mix everything well. Set aside.

*****

To make anchovy sauce: Heat the 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying-pan over low heat, add the chopped anchovies, breaking them up a wooden spoon until they dissolve into the oil. Add the chopped garlic and chilli flakes, stir-fry everything until the garlic became golden. Set aside.

This is also a very traditional Japanese dish and it’s suitable for vegans.

You can make dashi stock from dried shiitake mushrooms too. It’s very easy to make; just soak them in lukewarm water for an hour, and then, here is the umami-rich dashi stock.

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— Soba Noodles with Vegetable Tempra (serves 4) —

400g soba noodles

Some spring onion, finely chopped

Vegetable oil for deep-frying

*****

— for noodle soup —

6-7 dried shiitake mushrooms

1200ml lukewarm water

50ml soya sauce

50ml mirin

*****

— for vegetable tempra —

90g plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

150ml water

2 ice cubes

4 shiitake mushrooms, stemmed

100g red pepperr

100g butter nut squash

8 fine beans

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— to make noodle soup —

Shiitake soup stock: Place the dried shiitake mushrooms in the lukewarm water, leave for 1 hour at least, strain with a fine meshed sieve (if you don’t have a time, boil the dried shiitake mushrooms once and leave for 10 minutes).

Place the shiitake soup stock, soya sauce and mirin in a pan and bring to the boil, turn down the heat to low and simmer the noodle soup about 2 minutes.

*****

— to make vegetable tempra —

Heat the oil in a deep pan to 340F.

Cut the red pepper and butter nut squash into bite-sized slices.

Combine the flout and baking powder in a bowl.

Place 150ml water and 2 ice cubes in another bowl, add the flour mixture, mix together very lightly with chopsticks.

Lightly dip ingredients in the butter and immediately deep-fry them until crisp.

Drain excess oil on kitchen papers.

*****

Cook the soba noodles in a large pot of boiling water until cooked (follow the package directions) and drain.

Place the cooked soba noodles in a deep bowl, sprinkle chopped spring onion, pour in the hot noodle soup, arrange the vegetable tempra on top.

I decided to make this menu when I was thinking how to use a slightly stale yesterday’s baguette.

Fresh breadcrumbs are really easy to make. Put the bread in a food processor or cut the bread finely with a bread knife.

This seasoned breadcrumbs taste like garlic bread, it goes well with the macaroni cheese.

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— Macaroni Cheese Gratiné (serves 2) —

200g macaroni pasta

120ml single cream

100ml milk

100g cheddar cheese, grated

30g parmesan, finely grated

1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, finely chopped

Some salt and black pepper

100g fresh breadcrumbs

1 clove garlic, minced

30g butter, melted

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Cook the macaroni pasta in a large pan of salted boiling water until al dente (follow the package directions). Drain and return to the pan.

Add the single cream, milk, grated cheddar cheese and grated parmesan in the pan, cook and stirring over low heat for 3 minutes. Add the chopped thyme, season with a pinch of salt and pepper and transfer into a baking dish.

Place the fresh breadcrumbs, minced garlic and melted butter in a bowl, toss until well combined.

Sprinkle the breadcrumbs onto the macaroni mixture and bake in a preheated 200C/400F oven for about 7 minutes until golden and crispy.

I love this Vietnamese style fresh noodle salad. This is like a delicious medicine.

I’ll never get board of this fresh, zesty taste, and it’s very healthy with a lot of herbs and vegetables. I can physically feel that my body is delighted when I’m eating it.

The main ingredients of this dressing is Vietnamese fish sauce called nuoc mam. Nouc mam is a fermented fish sauce and it has a pungent smell itself… But when you use nuoc mam for a cooking, it does really enhance flavour of the dish, lifting the taste of other ingredients.

All the ingredients are helping each other to be delicious on a plate.

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— Prawn & Herb Noodle Salad (serves 2 / main dish) —

200g dried thin rice noodles (Bún)

160g boiled prawns

80g iceberg lettuce

100g cucumber

1 tomato

A handful coriander leaves

A handful mint leaves

Some roasted peanuts, crashed

*****

– for the noodle salad dressing –

2 tablespoons nouc mam (vietnamese fish sauce), or usual fish sauce

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 1/2 tablespoon honey

1 clove garlic, peeled and very finely chopped

A pinch of small chili, very finely chopped

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To prepare the noodle dressing, mix all ingredients of the dressing in a small bowl. Set aside.

Tear the iceberg lettuce into pieces, chop the cucumber and tomato into cubes, and set aside.

Cooke the thin rice noodles in a large pot of boiling water until cooked (follow the package directions). Drain and rinse well under cold water, and drain well again.

Transfer the cooked thin rice noodles into a large bowl. Add the boiled prawns, iceberg lettuce, cucumber, tomato, coriander leaves and mint leaves. Pour over the dressing, toss everything together in a bowl.

Soba noodles symbolize longevity because it’s physically long. And, Soba noodles are easy to bite and cut off, so it’s considered to sever any hardship that have happened during the year.

I was thinking it’s a strange custom.

But when I looked up the nutrition of buckwheat (the ingredients of soba noodles), I started to think that the custom might make sense.

Buckwheat is very high in rutin, an essential nutrient that is not found in other grains. Rutin is powerful antioxidants that fight free radicals which are responsible of some of the major health problems such as cancer, arteriosclerosis, strokes, and age-related senility. Also, buckwheat is rich in vitamin B1 making them a good option got those recovering from stress and wanting to regain a decent energy level.

Good. I eat soba noodles today, wishing good health and not to carryover any bad things to 2011.

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— Soba Noodle Salad (Serves 2) —

160g Soba Noodles

40g rocket

Some sesame seeds

*****

— For the dressing —

1/4 onion

5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons soya sauce

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

A pinch of salt

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To prepare the dressing, peel and grate the onion, place the grated onion, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, soya sauce and lemon juice in a bowl and mix well. Season to taste with a pinch of salt.

Cook the soba noodles in large pot of boiling water until cooked (follow the package directions). Drain and rinse well under cold water and drain again.

Transfer the soba noodles to large bowl. Add the dressing and toss to coat.